Aston Martin reveals DBR22 design concept for Monterey Car Week

Those attending this year’s Monterey Car Week in sunny California will be treated to the debut of Aston Martin’s latest showstopping design concept, the DBR22.

Inspired by Aston’s historic open-top racers, including the DBR1 and DB3S, the DBR22 blends traditional coach-built design with the brand’s potent twin-turbo V12 engine.

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Crafted by Aston Martin’s in-house bespoke division, Q by Aston Martin, the DBR22 celebrates 20 years of building incredibly personalised low-volume specials, including the Vulcan (limited to 24 examples) and the Vantage V600 (limited to 14 examples).

The DBR22 was born in celebration of Aston Martin’s Q division, and represents one of the rarest Aston Martins ever produced in its 109-year history.

The DBR22 boasts an all-new body, and is manufacturer from a minimal number of panels to emphasise its sculpted and muscular features.

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The front grille design is directly inspired by that of the classic DBR1 and DB3S racers, along with other design tributes including the horseshoe bonnet vent, delicate wing mirrors and new centrelock 14-spoke wheels.

The colour chosen for the DBR22’s unveiling is an entirely new creation, developed through Q division’s ‘paint-to-sample’ program – which offers virtually limitless options for customers.

Delving into the open-air cabin sees the combination of new and old continue, with swathes of supple brown leather featuring on various touchpoints and surfaces – of course accompanied by equal lashings of exposed carbon fibre. The dashboard architecture is all-new with clean and sleek infotainment graphics.

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The flying buttresses, or nacelles, behind the headrests help smooth airflow and double as a key design element for the rear.

The sculpted buttresses lead to the bespoke full-width light bar, which hides further ducting panels to extract hot air from the powertrain.

Beneath the expansive front clamshell sits Aston Martin’s familiar twin-turbo 5.2-litre V12, producing a stout 525kW and 753Nm. The open-top Aston will sprint from 0-100km/h in about 3.4 seconds with top speed pegged at a hair-tearing 319km/h.

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Unique engine mapping and calibration on the eight-speed automatic transmission provide the DBR22 with a distinct feel compared to any other Aston Martin offering with great efforts made towards maximising dynamic feedback and performance.

Underneath, unique front and rear shear panels aid tortional rigidity, while a 3D printed aluminium rear subframe simplifies the production process with no penalties to weight or stiffness. The DBR22 also enjoys a bespoke adaptive damper calibration map as well as rack-and-pinion steering to maximise driver feedback through the steering wheel.

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As the DBR22 debuts at this year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, taking place August 19 to 21, Aston Martin indicates that the DBR22 will also “form the basis of a production reality example for an eltra-exclusive number of Q by Aston Martin customers”.

How many will be produced, and to what cost, has yet to be confirmed. Rest assured, it won’t be cheap but, no doubt, such lucky Aston Martin collectors will own something very special indeed.